Folding seat



Dec. 24, 1946. J, CAFFREY FOLDING SEAT 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 5,1945 Dec. 24, 1946. J. L. CAFFREY I 2,413,168

FOLDING SEAT FiledOct. 5 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 v 24, 1946. J. L. CAR-REY 2,413,168

FOLDING SEAT I Filed 001;. 5, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Dec. 24,1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FOLDING SEAT Joseph Leo Cafirey,Malden, Mass.

Application October 5, 1945, Serial No. 620,496

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a folding seat particularly adapted for use ina shop or factory in which bench workers are employed, although it iscapable of other uses.

The general object of the invention is the provision of a folding seatcharacterized by extreme simplicity and ruggedness in construction whichmay be manufactured very cheaply and will stand up under the rough usageto which seats of this sort are subjected.

ther objects will appear in the detailed description of the particularembodiment of the invention selected for illustration.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a folding seat embodying my invention,the seat being shown in lowered or operative position.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation.

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation showing the seat in raised or inoperativeposition.

Referring to the drawings, It, Iii, are a pair of spaced leg membersconnected at their upper ends by a yoke piece II which terminates in aforwardly projecting plate !2 shown, in the present instance, as makinga right angle with the plane of the legs and the yoke member.

Each leg member is provided with a strap spaced forwardly therefrom andextending throughout a portion of the length thereof, each said strapterminating near the lower end of the leg.

Preferably, the leg member structure is stamped. out of a single plateof sheet metal and then pressed into the shape shown, the metal betweenthe parallel cuts I4, I4, being pressed out of the plane of the plate toform the strap and the flange I2 being bent at right angles to the plateat the same time. Simultaneously with the making of the cuts [4, I4,each leg is cut through along the horizontal lines I5, I5, and thevertical line I5, and a portion of the metal bounded by said lines ispunched out, as indicated at IT, to form the hook I8, Fig. l. Preferablysimultaneously with the pressing out of the straps I4, the metal boundedby the lines 15, I6, is pressed outwardly at right angles to the planeof the leg to form the clip I9.

It will be understood, however, that the leg member may be assembledfrom separate pieces secured together by spot welding or in any othersuitable manner; that the yoke member H and flange I2 may be integral;that the legs may be rigidly secured thereto by bolts, rivets, or spot 2welding, and also that the straps and clip need not be integral with thelegs. I

The plate 29, to whichis secured a seat 2| by screws 22, or in any othersuitable manner, is connected to the forwardly projecting flange I2 bythe hinge 23', and the straps of said hinge may be spot welded to theunderside of the plate 20, as indicated at 2 3, Fig. 4, or in any othersuit able manner, and to said flange.

The rearward ends of the plate 2!! are provided with a pair of brackets25 on the opposite sides thereof and said brackets preferably are curvedto project upwardly and rearwardly when the seat is in lowered position(Fig. l) and downwardly and rearwardly when the seat is in its ver-=ticalpositicn (Fig. 3).

Preferably; the brackets 25 and the hinge meme bers 26, 25, are integralwith the plate 20 and are formed in one operation by cutting andstamping, although it will be understood that these members may be madeseparately from the plate 20 and secured thereto by electric welding, orin any other suitable manner.

A seat support member is provided for co-opera- I tion with the seatmember and the leg member.

In the present instance, the support member is shown as formed from twospaced arms 21, 21, which may be iron pipe of standard make, which arebored transversely near their lower ends to receive a cross piece 28,the ends of said cross piece projecting beyond the arms and beingdisposed between each leg and its strap whereby there is provided atrack or guide for the lowermost portion of the support member duringthe movement of the seat from one to the other of its two positions. Theupper ends of the arms 21 are shown as flattened, in the presentinstance, and pivotally connected or hinged, as indicated at 29, to thelugs 26, respectively. 7

Connected between the brackets 25 and the clips 5 9 are tension springs353, the combined tension of said springs being sufficient to hold theseat member in its vertical or horizontal position, but insufficient toraise said member from its horizontal to its vertical position.

An operative desiring to use the seat, will move it from its verticalposition to its horizontal or operative position by pressing forwardlyand downwardly against the upper edge of the seat, such pressure beingresisted by the somewhat strong tension of the springs 30. When the Seahas been placed manually in horizontal position, the tension of saidsprings will retain it in such position, the direction of pull and thestrength of the springs'being efiective for this purpose, but

the parts are so apportioned and positioned that the spring will not beefiective to raise the seat from its horizontal position. The operative,having finished using the seat, will restore it manually to its verticalposition, the direction of pull and the tension of the springs beingsuflicient to maintain it therein. Thus, the springs are always in astate of tension which is greater When the seat is in lowered than inraised position, but the Weight of the seat and support member and thecurvature of the brackets away from the pintle of the hinge 23 and theleverage exerted by the brackets are such that the seat is maintained inWhichever of its two positions it is placed manually.

The seat may be attached to a work bench in a shop or factory by screwsor bolts passing through the apertures 3|, 3|, in the leg member, inwhich case, the seat member will extend outwardly from the bench and thebench worker will straddle it, or it may be attached to the floor asuitable distance in front of the bench by means of angle irons, orother appropriate appliances, in which case, the seat member will extendforwardly toward the bench.

Among various advantages accruing from the use of my improved foldingseat are economy of space and the provision of free aisles in front ofthe benches, which is especially desirable when the floors of thefactory are being swept or cleaned.

If desired, the backs of the seats may be marked consecutively with thenumber of the employees occupying them, in which case, the personnelmanager of a department, usually called the shop steward, can veryeasily list the absentees, by

walking down the aisle and observing the numbers on the unoccupied seatswithout being obliged to consult time clock records.

Having thus described an illustrative embodiment of my inventionwithout, however, limiting the same thereto, what I claim and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

A folding seat, comprising a pair of spaced le members terminating attheir upper ends in a forwardly projecting plate, a seat member hingedlyconnected to said plate at the forward edge thereof, said seat memberhaving a pair of brackets on the opposite sides thereof near therearward end of the same, said brackets projecting upwardly andrearwardly when the seat member is in its horizontal position anddownwardly and rearwardly when said seat is in its vertical position, aswinging seat-support comprising a pair of spaced arms terminating in across piece at the lower ends thereof, the ends of said cross pieceprojecting beyond said arms, each said leg member having a strap spacedforwardly therefrom and extending throughout a portion of the lengththereof, the projecting ends of said cross piece being disposed betweensaid leg members and said straps, means pivotally connecting the upperends of said arms to said seat member, and a pair of springs eachconnected between the lower portion of said leg members and the rearwardend of said brackets, the tension of saidsprings being suflicient tohold the seat member in its vertical position but insuflicient to raisesaid seat member from its horizontal to its vertical position.

JOSEPH LEO CAFFREY.

